Why are 12 hectares of sugarcane land abandoned in Quy Chau?

Gia Du area is known as the agricultural production area of ​​the people of Hoa Hai 1 and Hoa Hai 2 blocks, Tan Lac town (Quy Chau). According to the agricultural calendar, this is the time when sugarcane needs care and fertilization for the plants to grow.

However, according to the reporter's observation, there is not a single farmer in the flat field, grass is growing wildly, sugarcane stumps appear to have been burned, and the roots are uprooted and thrown haphazardly on the field.

Sugarcane stumps appear to have been burned, roots pulled out and thrown haphazardly in the field. Photo: Diep Phuong

Housed next to a sugarcane field, Mrs. Ngo Thi Lieu sighed: "It's heartbreaking to see the whole field abandoned, but we don't have enough strength to stick with the sugarcane field anymore. All year long we "sell our backs to the ground, sell our faces to the sky" but can't earn any profit, so what can we do?"

According to Mrs. Lieu, her family has 2 sao of land to grow sugarcane. In previous years, the price of sugarcane was high at 900,000 - 950,000 VND/ton, after deducting production costs, her family earned about 8 million VND; but this year, sugarcane has dropped to 750,000 VND/ton, the transportation road is difficult, so Mrs. Lieu has to hire people to cut sugarcane, load sugarcane onto the truck, pay tips... after deducting production costs, she has lost several hundred thousand VND, not to mention the labor spent on clearing the fields, weeding, and taking care of the plants to grow all year round.

After deducting production costs, Ms. Lieu's 2 acres of sugarcane lost several hundred thousand, not including the labor spent clearing weeds and taking care of the plants throughout the year. Photo: Diep Phuong

Ms. Bui Thi Loan, residing in Hoa Hai 1 block, Tan Lac town, shared: “At first, everyone was excited about switching to sugarcane cultivation. In the first year of harvest, my 5 sao of sugarcane yielded about 35 tons, with an average of about 7 tons per sao; but in the following years, the sugarcane plants gradually died, and the yield decreased. Up to now, the yield is only 3 tons/sao.

The reason is that the soil is acidic and dry, so it is not suitable for growing sugarcane. Moreover, the people who grow sugarcane are not uniform, the houses are not built, some households let buffaloes and cows destroy the sugarcane fields. In addition, the price of sugarcane has dropped sharply, so no one is "interested" in sugarcane anymore. We want to switch to growing acacia trees, but the local government does not allow it, so we have to leave the land fallow."

Mr. Le Hai Ly - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quy Chau district said that the agricultural land area of ​​Hoa Hai 1 and Hoa Hai 2 blocks is 12 hectares. Previously, people mainly grew rice but it was not effective, so since 2015, the district has directed to switch to growing sugarcane. In the face of the above situation, in March, the district had 2 direct working sessions with the town People's Committee and people of Hoa Hai 1 and Hoa Hai 2 blocks.

Sugarcane cultivation fails, 12 hectares of agricultural land are abandoned in Quy Chau. Photo: Diep Phuong

“There are three main reasons why people abandon their fields and want to switch to growing acacia. Firstly, the price of sugarcane has dropped sharply (more than 20 times, last year it was 950,000 VND/ton, this year it is 750,000 VND/ton), and the production costs are high.

Second, the labor force in Hoa Hai mainly goes abroad to work, most of them go to China. At home, there are only the elderly and children, so they do not want to grow crops and want to switch to growing acacia so that after a few years when they return, they can cut down acacia trees to sell and keep the land.

Third, households do not invest in proper care. Sugarcane is easy to grow but requires investment in fertilizer to make the plant sweet. If after the first year of harvest, it is understandable that the plant will be stunted and the yield will decrease," Mr. Ly explained.

According to Mr. Ly, the district's viewpoint is that agricultural land must be planted with annual crops and cannot be converted to forestry because acacia is a forestry tree. At the same time, the district has also guided and encouraged people to switch to biomass corn if sugarcane cultivation is not effective and local leaders have made an output commitment for the people. For households that want to plant acacia, do not want to grow annual crops and leave them fallow, the district will reclaim the land to contract with households that want to receive production.